Playlist
(4 talks)

Dave Eggers: 4 talks that are spot-on

As Dave Eggers says, "The best TED Talks make sense of complicated ideas and trends, and have an elegant simplicity to them. It’s plenty of time to get across a clear and bold idea.” Below, his notes on 4 great talks.

Some kids learn by listening; others learn by doing. Geoff Mulgan gives a short introduction to the Studio School, a new kind of school in the UK where small teams of kids learn by working on projects that are, as Mulgan puts it, "for real."

“Geoff Mulgan’s talk about the Studio School continued the discussion about kids needing to touch, create and experiment — how they benefit from project-based learning. After seeing that, it makes the creation of similar programs seem insanely easy.”

Psychologist Philip Zimbardo asks, "Why are boys struggling?" He shares some stats (lower graduation rates, greater worries about intimacy and relationships) and suggests a few reasons — and challenges the TED community to think about solutions.

“Philip Zimbardo’s ‘Demise of Guys’ talk was great — everything Zimbardo does is great, I think.”

Elizabeth Gilbert muses on the impossible things we expect from artists and geniuses — and shares the radical idea that, instead of the rare person "being" a genius, all of us "have" a genius. It's a funny, personal and surprisingly moving talk.

“You can’t beat Liz Gilbert’s talk about creativity; convincing every young person they have greatness in them is the task of 826 National, and she explains this better than anyone else has.”